F/SF

Perhaps it's just the problem of a sane mind being unable to related to an insane one, but I simply didn't like this book much. Rod is suddenly afflicted by visions of horrors attacking himself and his family so he does the only noble thing and tells his family to get lost. And Fess. And goes out wandering in the woods. At night. In the middle of winter. Alone. Fighting monsters who aren't there. And then he ends up thinking he's in Glencarte, the fantasy world his grandfather dreamed up. I just wasn't happy with this tale.

There were a couple of interesting bits. One reference to Don Quixote that I caught. One reference to another classical knight that I didn't catch. A visit by John the Baptist and a cameo by Big Tom's ghost. Other than that, there was a bunch of schitzophrenetic (quixotic, even) battles against villains real and unreal. And lots of yelling at Gwen and kids to leave him alone.

There wasn't all that much in the way of overt social commentary in this one, besides a couple of pages at the beginning (before the madness hits) that discuss the nature of insanity, its varying degrees, etc.

I guess I also wasn't too thrilled because the finale wasn't. Gwen and kids took are of things at the end while Rod was flailing around on his back.

Read 7/2007 ( )